Natural products exhibit substantial structural diversity and a wide range of biological properties, making them valuable starting points for developing new anti-infective agents. Their complex molecular scaffolds offer numerous opportunities for interactions with biological targets. Understanding and optimizing these interactions requires selective modifications to specific parts of the molecules and comparative studies of the resulting compounds. This is particularly challenging from a synthetic perspective, as natural products often contain several chemically similar reactive sites, and their biological activity depends on a precisely defined three-dimensional structure. Many potentially interesting analogs therefore remain difficult to access.

The research group “Synthesis of Natural-Product Derived Drugs” aims to explore previously underexplored regions of chemical space for anti-infective research. To this end, the group develops synthetic routes that provide access to natural products and enable selective modifications at specific positions within these complex molecules, leaving other regions unchanged. Comparative studies of these compounds seek to establish which structural features are essential for binding to a target protein and which can be modified to strengthen desired interactions or reduce unwanted ones. A central question is which part of a molecule needs to be modified, how, and why, to guide the development of natural-product-derived drug candidates.

To achieve this, the group combines synthetic chemistry with biological studies of the resulting compounds. Artificial intelligence and microchemical approaches will complement these efforts by supporting the selection of promising molecular analogs and the development of suitable synthetic routes. Miniaturized reaction systems enable systematic investigation of different synthetic conditions using small amounts of compounds and solvents. This is particularly advantageous for valuable natural products that are available only in limited quantities. By more closely integrating molecular design, synthesis, and biological evaluation, the group aims to translate experimental findings more rapidly into the design of subsequent compounds and make the development of natural-product-derived drug candidates more efficient and resource-conscious.